Salvage Me
by Thoughts of Yesterday
Summary: Everyone thought Ponyboy just had a cold. - HIATUS
1. Chapter 1

**Salvage Me**

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I let out another annoyed sigh for the hundredth time that night, well, maybe not that much but I know it's been plenty. Enough to where Two-Bit started to mimic me every time I did it.

But my patience was growing thin. My girl Evie, had canceled our date just because my best bud Sodapop and his girlfriend Sandy weren't going to be going out with us tonight. And why weren't they going out with us on what the girls liked to call a double date?

Well, the kid is sick – again. So of course, Soda had to play mother hen for his kid brother, on his first night off in two weeks I might add.

"If you keep doin' that Stevey-boy you're gonna send this house flyin' into the sky." Dally joked when he came out the kitchen a beer in his hand which sent Two-Bit darting for one like it was a reminder he needed a refill.

"It ain't helpin' much he got Two-Bit started neither." Darry grumbled from his seat in his arm chair his eyes never leaving the newspaper he'd been reading for the last hour or so, I'm sure he wasn't reading it because I hadn't seen him flip a page yet.

Another reason I was pissed, Darry was here yet Sodapop still didn't want to leave. It was always the kid, always the damn kid who kept him so distracted and this time it was all because of a stupid headache and a fever.

Big deal.

Right then, Soda came back into the living room, his face was all twisted up in a worry frown.

"He alright?" Darry asked putting the newspaper down.

Soda just shrugged and plopped down next to me and ran his fingers through his greasy hair, something he only did when he was really nervous about something.

_Just a fever_, I thought, _why the heck is he so worried?_

"I dunno Dar," He finally answered, "Fever is gettin' worse it back in the triples."

It was Darry's turn to sigh then, "Reckon we should take him to the doc." I could tell he was talking more to himself then he was to Sodapop or any of us.

And my annoyance for the kid was back. They couldn't afford that, I knew that the State only provided regular check ups for them but anything more had to come out of their pockets.

"Make him a hot tottie or somethin'." Two-Bit chimed in, giving Johnny the cards to shuffle up. "Hell I like that stuff even when I ain't sick."

"You know that your hot tottie is just the bottle of whiskey."

"Ain't that the truth." Two-Bit grinned, causing all of us to just roll our eyes. Two-Bit was something alright and I definitely wouldn't mind that bottle myself right now, playing cards with the guys was fun and all but I was still bored out of my mind.

We sat there while Johnny dealt out the cards, even Superman got in on the action I guess to keep his mind off of everything.

During the second game with all of us, Ponyboy came into the room. I didn't see him but Johnny did, "Hey Pone." he said.

My head shot up and I was ready to lay into the kid, if he was so sick he shouldn't have been out of bed but before I could even open my mouth my eyes handed on him and I seriously forgot how to speak then.

He looked like shit and apparently Dally thought so too because he actually voiced that same exact thing.

"Damn kid." Two-Bit said, eyeing Pony who was standing in the hallway. He was squinting his bloodshot eyes as if the light was too bright for him, he looked so dang small in the clothes he was wearing like he had raided Darry's closet or something. He was so pale too, almost like he was a ghost.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Darry was out of his chair and going towards the kid.

"Thirsty." He answered and his voice made me wince, it was all groggy and rough and just didn't sound right.

"Go back to bed, I'll get you some juice." Soda was up in a instant and I couldn't even feel a bit upset about it.

Once Ponyboy was in his room, I watched as Soda and Darry went into the kitchen most likely for some privacy to talk. With the game over, Dally, Two-Bit, me and Johnny went outside to smoke giving the brothers more room to talk amongst themselves.

"Damn." Dally muttered, lighting a cancer stick and handing one to Johnny.

I guess that had all taken as back a bit, he'd been sick most of the day but had looked fine other than being a bit pale and then just to see him a few minutes ago looking like shit warmed over, I'd be lying to say I wasn't a bit surprised.

"Ya'll got any other plans for tonight?" Two-Bit asked after awhile. "It's not even midnight yet." As much as everyone worried about the kid, it was impossible to imagine just waiting around here for the rest of the night because of his cold.

I lit my own cigarette before answering, "Not sure, with tonights plans in the crapp-" before I could finish I heard a shout from my best friend inside that nearly made me fall back.

"Pony!"

By the time we got inside, Darry was charging out of the bedroom Soda and Ponyboy shared with a look on his face I had never seen before. "Call for a ambulance." He barked at us before he turned and rushed back to the room.

Two-Bit was on the phone and Johnny and me followed after Darry -

I wasn't prepared for what I saw next.

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**Excuse any typos or grammar errors.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Salvage Me**

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I heard the screen door squeak then clatter shut and the silence that fallowed in the home I shared with my two brothers, told us the other guys had went outside.

"We'll call his doctor in the mornin' I guess." I said, opening the refrigerator for the pitcher of apple juice we kept in there.

Sodapop got a glass from the cabinets, "Good, I'll pick up some extra hours where I can." He said, taking the pitcher from my hands and pouring the juice into the glass. I wanted to tell him no, but with the extra bill the doctor visit would add, we'd both have to. "I hate it when he gets sick like this."

"Me too lil' buddy, when any of you get sick." I don't know how mom and dad ever handled it with us three, anytime Soda or Ponyboy got a little cough or sneeze I couldn't stand it. "Guess I'll make him some more soup." I went to the cupboard where I had earlier put the cans of soup I bought.

When Soda left the kitchen to take Pony the juice I fished out a random can of soup; creamy chicken noodle, and the can opener that was hanging on a nail on the door of the cupboard.

I doubted he could even keep this down, earlier attempts at feeding him hadn't ended so well but we needed to get something in his stomach. Whatever this bug was he has, I just hoped and prayed it went away soon.

… "Pony?" I heard Sodapop's voice drift down the hall, I paused in turning the can opener when I heard his voice again; "Pony?" This time it sounded strange, almost urgent and scared. I quickly dropped the items in my hands, not caring about the contents spilling out the half open can.

I was already near their bed room when Sodapop called out again, this time it was for me. "Darry!" I was by his side in a second.

"What's goin-" My voice seemed to just stop working; the room was dim- the bare low wat light blub hanging from the ceiling just seemed to bathe the room yellow not helping much for seeing, but I could see well enough.

Ponyboy laid on the bed the covers carelessly tossed back; his eyes were dark and blank, the whites of them completely bloodshot, much more than they had been earlier. His chapped lips were parted a weazing sound coming from them as he panted, his breaths coming out hard and quick.

His skin was pale so pale and damp looking, but it wasn't just that that had caught my attention, it was the dark splotches on his skin that looked like bruises.

For a moment that felt like forever, I couldn't move. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing, if it wasn't for the panting he was doing I could've sworn then and there my baby brother was dead.

Sodapop was frantically shaking him, calling out Ponyboy's name, each time his voice was getting louder and louder. "Do somethin'!" He yelled at me, snapping me out of my stupor.

All of that just happened in maybe no more than a minute.

I turned on my heels and raced out the door, heading for the living room phone.

_Hospital. Hospital. Hospital._

He needed to go to the hospital.

The guys met me in the living room and I barked at one of them to call for an ambulance or something. I didn't see who because I quickly turned back to go to my brothers. Sodapop was still shaking him when I came back but Pony still hadn't moved.

I did the only thing I could then, I went to the bed and scooped up my baby brother into my arms.

"Why is he like this?" Soda was frantic and I wanted to calm him down but I had something more important to do. I went to leave the room, almost knocking into Johnny as I did, for a second I could see his dark eyes widen in fear but he didn't hold my attention long.

I stormed outside and headed to our truck with the intention of taking him to the hospital myself, with Sodapop right on my heels.

"A ambulance is comin'!" Two-Bit called out and sure enough I could hear sirens coming but they sounded too far off for my liking. I couldn't see my brother in my arms I could feel him shaking and I could hear his wheezing as he struggled to breathe.

"It's okay baby." I said to him, trying to comfort him even though he was completely out of it. "It's gonna be okay." The sirens drew closer before finally I could see the lights turn the corner.

I glanced over at Soda who was glued to my side his eyes never leaving Ponyboy's form in my arms. "It's gonna be okay." I repeated, this time to him and myself.

"What's going on here?" A paramedic asked when he jumped out the bus, another went to the back and swung open the back pulling out a stretcher.

He got to us and pulled out a small flashlight, "Our brother is sick, man." Soda answered. The man, muttered a curse under his breath when the light landed on Pony and within seconds he was out of my arms and onto the stretcher.

Soda moved forward when they started to load him into the back, before looking back at me. "Go on." I told him and without any other word to or from the EMTs he climbed in the back with our brother, not needing much convincing.

I turned and quickly went to the truck and like little lambs the rest of the gang joined me. "What's goin' Dar?" Steve asked poking his head through the window from the back cab of the truck.

"I-I have no clue." I answered honestly and thanked God that the truck started on the first try, "No clue." I repeated tailing quickly behind the ambulance, not minding a bit at the cigarette smoke that flooded my senses.

I just kept my eyes on the flashing lights ahead of me.

I couldn't help but to wonder now, how would mom and dad have done this?

I wished they were here now to tell me.

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**Excuse any typos**

I have no clue why I started Steve as the first chapter but thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter one.


	3. Chapter 3

**Salvage Me**

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All I could do was watch as one of the paramedics worked on my baby brother, him and the driver calling back and forth to each other.

I had to hold my breath to keep myself from punching the guy in the face when he started to put a IV in one of Ponyboy's pale but to my surprise even with the meat wagon shaking and all, he got it in with ease.

_How in the hell did it get to this?_ I thought, running my hands through my hair. It had started early this morning with him being complaining about a stiff neck. I thought maybe he had slept wrong or something but then when he started getting sick and throwing up, I knew it wasn't just that.

Pony had been sick a lot before but I don't know, this just felt different.

_I was feeling great, it was the first day off I had in nearly two week. I had just got off the phone after talking to Sandy excited about our date tonight. _

_I wasn't surprised when I turned around and didn't see Pony on the couch where he was before she called, he wasn't a fan of hearing or seeing any of the "kissy stuff" he said Sandy and I did. I found him in our room, curled up in the bed with a sheet thrown over his head._

"_It wasn't that bad!" I joked with him, tugging on the blanket but his grip was pretty firm on it. "C'mon I'm off the phone now." I gave the sheet one last tug and it flew out of his hand and off his head. Quickly the light mood I was in vanished when he groaned in what sounded to me like pain._

"_Pony?" I reached out to touch his forehead but jerked my hand away from how hot his skin felt. "You okay?"_

"_Too bright!" He groaned again, groping blindly for the sheet or anything to cover up with again._

_I raised an at that eyebrow, "What are you talkin' bout?" The room was always pretty dark because of the overgrown tree out our window._

"_Soda?" He peered out from under his arm and squinted at me, "Why are you home?"_

_That's when I got worried._

"-to anything?"

I blinked trying to focus on something besides Ponyboy, namely the paramedic _Kurt_ his name tag said.

"What?"

Kurt rolled his eyes, messing with the line that was now attached to Pony's arm. "Is he allergic to anything?" He asked again, all slow like I was dumb or something.

"No." I bit out, not liking this guy at all but he had my baby brothers life in his hands. "What's goin' on with him?"

He injected something into Pony's IV line and the grabbed a plastic mask at his side, a oxygen mask. "Not sure kid, but he's sick." He placed the mask on my brothers face. "Really sick."

It felt like forever by the time we reached the hospital. I hovered over the paramedics as they unloaded my baby brother out of the ambulance. "So-Soda?" I snapped my attention back to Ponyboy, his eyes glazed and on unfocused were on me. I went to his side and grabbed his hands having to jog to keep up with the stretcher.

"I'm here baby."

"Why aren't you...you..." He stopped talking and I thought he was out of it again, I squeezed his hand just wanting to hear him talk again. He looked so -dead- and I just wanted to hear his voice again. "workin?" He finally said as the doors slide open and we entered through the ER.

I reached out and touched his hot and damp forehead, smoothing back his hair. "Cause you're sick."

"Sick?" He licked his chapped lips in thought, a confused look coming over his face.

"Yeah, honey you're sick." A couple of other people came to us and I barely noticed when the doctors took over asking the paramedics questions.

"Oh..." Pony shut his eyes and seemed to drift off to sleep.

"What's his name?" Someone asked but I didn't look away from his face to answer.

"Ponyboy." They were silent and I could picture them with weird looks on their faces but I didn't care to give them the back story right now. "Ponyboy Curtis."

Suddenly, I found myself being pulled away from him, "I'm sorry sir, you have to stay here." I heard one of them say in the mist of everyone shouting to each other.

All I could hear in the commotion were random words of ; _mask, antibiotics, heart rate falling, PICU stat. _

"No!" I yanked my arm away from their grip, "I have to go with him." I tried to get to my brother who was laying on the stretcher ,looking for small and helpless being pushed, towards a set of double doors but again I was pulled away.

"Sir please!" I could see it was a young man, he didn't look any older than Darry, "They are going to help him but you need to stay here." He held me still and all I could do was watch as Ponyboy disappeared through the double doors ahead.

"What's wrong with him!" I screamed after them, "What's wrong with him!" But no one came to answer me.

Never in my life have I felt more useless.

I stayed by those double doors refusing to go to a waiting room after a couple of nurses came to me. No one was answering any of my questions either, for all I knew Pony could be back there dead and they weren't telling me.

No.

No.

I can't think like that. Because he wasn't, he was just sick is all and they were helping him get better. Soon, he'll be walking out of those doors with that embarrassed look on his face.

"_Didn't mean to make you worry like that." _He'll say and then we'll go home and everything will be just fine.

Yep.

That's how its going to go. Ponyboy is just fine.

"Soda!" I snapped my head up out of my arms to see Darry racing towards me a couple of the guys, Johnny and Steve, coming up behind him.

Before I could stand up off the blue and white speckled laminate flooring, Darry hauled me up by my shoulders. "We've been lookin' all over." He said, I could hear the relief in his voice but it quickly changed back to worry, "Where's Pony?"

I nodded my head towards the doors a few steps from us, "In there." I looked at them, wishing I had the power to see through walls like Superman.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?"

I didn't know how to answer that, because I didn't know so all I could do was shrug my shoulders. "No one has said a thing to me."

Darry let out a curse and turned on his heels, charging towards the nearest Nurse Station but before he could take even a couple of steps the double doors that I had been willing to open, finally did.

Out came three men, doctors I imagine, and came straight towards us – mainly me. "You're here with Po...Ponyboy Curty?" He asked, sounding completely lost on what the name written down on his clipboard was.

"Ponyboy Curtis." Darry quickly stepped forward, "How is he?"

The men looked stunned for a second but collected themselves, "You are?"

"His eldest brother and legal guardian, Darryl Curtis." He said quickly, "This is Sodapop Curtis." Darry nodded towards me and the men made a face at my name but said nothing about it.

"Can you please come with us?" Another asked, directing us to the double doors glancing at Steve and Johnny who were still behind us.

"We'll go find the other guys. Update us when you can." Steve said, giving me a pat on my shoulder before he a Johnny disappeared around the corner.

Once it was only us and the doctors they led us through the doors.

The first thing I noticed was the colors and decorations were completely different from the rest of the hospital. The walls were a pastel pink, green and purple with wooden Winnie the Pooh and other cartoon character cut outs along the walls.

Seeing all this was like someone splashed cold water on my face.

My brother was just a kid, barely 14 years old.

I could see by the expression on Darry's face he had to be thinking the same thing.

The sign_ Pediatric Intensive Care Unit _hung over a nurses station that I could see when another set of doors opened when someone came out, but they didn't take us there. Instead we were lead into a room off to the side, a waiting room.

The walls were painted to look like a out door playground, with little hand prints and names.

"Sit down, please." The youngest looking guy said, at first I refused but when Darry placed his hand on my shoulder, I all but collapsed into one of the plastic chairs. They quickly introduced themselves to us before getting to business.

The older looking doctor, fiddled with his salt and pepper beard for a moment before speaking, "After we're done here, I'll be taking you to your brother but first, we felt the need we should prepare you," My heart dropped into my stomach at Dr. Westcott's words.

_Prepare us?_

"When your brother was brought in, it was obvious he was a very sick young man." He continued, "His heartbeat and respiration were extremely rapid, to the point we were concerned he would go into cardiac arrest."

"Is...is...did he?" Darry tried to speak but his words didn't seem to be coming out right and I didn't even want to try to say a word, I don't think I could control myself if I did.

Dr. Westcott shook his head, but the grim look on his face remained. "To supply him with the fluids and antibiotics he needed, we had to put in a central IV line, which is placed at the right atrium of the heart, because his veins continued to collapse elsewhere."

"What's wrong with him?" I just wanted him to get to the point and tell us what was going on with our baby brother and if he was going to be okay.

Dr. Allen, the younger one took over then. "One of the test we conducted was, what we call, a spinal tap to look at the fluid that surrounds the spine and brain." He looked over at us and I wanted to start to cry at the look he had – this wasn't going to be good news, nothing with the brain can be good news.

"Your brother has a form of a disease known as bacterial meningitis," I never heard of it before, but by the noise Darry made it seems he has and the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach grew when he threw his arm over my shoulder, "and things aren't looking well for him." The doctor finished.

I barely made it to the trashcan sitting in the corner.

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**Excuse the typos – a lot of them in this chapter.**

Not what you were expecting I know, but this is a seriously and potentially deadly disease. I started this for a good friend of mine, marking the anniversary of her child's passing from meningococcal meningitis.

I lost count on how many times I've done this chapter so, I'm just going to post it before I start all over again.

Thank you for the previous reviews – they mean a lot.


	4. Chapter 4

**Salvage Me.**

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Never in my life have I seen either of them so scared like they were when Darry carried Ponyboy out of their house.

Hell, never have I been so scared.

Earlier when Pony came out of his room during our poker game, I thought I was seeing a ghost. He looked God awful. Yea he hadn't been feeling good all day, saying his head was hurting and stuff but he looked just fine when I first saw him that morning.

_School wasn't my favorite place to be, but it was better than being home with my old man and ma. I do alright in school I guess, thanks to Ponyboy. I don't have the best concentration in class and I do my homework at the last minute, at least it gets done though. _

_Pony and I try to meet in the school library a couple times a week, he helps me figure out the things I don't really get. Like math, I hate math with a passion and even more this year because I managed to get into Algebra II -_

_I ain't never been the type of person who raises their hands in class or asks questions but with Ponyboy, I don't have to worry about being embarrassed when I don't get this fraction or that equation and all that._

_He'd make a good teacher_

_We met in the library and right away I could tell that something was wrong with him. _

"_You okay, man?" I asked sitting down at the table he was already settled in. His face was hidden because had his arms crossed on the top of the table with his head resting in them but I could see that his arm and the back of his neck was pale._

_He mumbled something that I couldn't hear, "...a headache, is all." He raised his head, rubbing at his temples. "Took a bunch of aspirins hope they'll kick in soon."_

"_We don't have to do this now if you ain't feelin' good Pone." _

"_No, it's fine Johnnycakes, just a headache."_

His headache never went away though, it actually got a lot worse. So bad that he was sent home after lunch.

_Two-Bit took him home and I ended up skipping the rest of the day to ride along with them to his house._

_Pony directly went to bed, leaving just me and Two-Bit to look after him. _

"_He don't like right." Two-Bit said, stating the obvious. "Must be one of them migraines or somethin'. My mama get's 'em pretty bad."_

"_Maybe." I don't know why but something in the bad of my mind screamed that, that wasn't it, but I ignored it – I heard that migraines weren't much fun to deal with so I was quick on accepting that as a answer._

Wish I listened to that feeling.

Ponyboy is my best friend, he's like what I would imagine having a brother would be like. The gang, we're all like a little family, it's jut that with Pony and I we just think different and we understand each other.

If I lost him, I wouldn't be any good anymore.

I shouldn't be thinking like that, I know. He's going to be just fine but he looked already _dead_ in Darry's arms.

I thought he was.

Even Dally looked a little scared – No, Dallas Winston doesn't get scared, he looked disturbed.

I got into the cab of the truck and the other guys tossed themselves into the the back of it. I kept glancing at Darry out of the corner of my eyes as he tailed the ambulance.

I had so many questions I wanted to ask him, the time right now just didn't seem right.

"He's gonna be alright." I said instead, taking a role I've only done with Pony. "He's a s-strong kid."

He stayed quiet and I was worried I said something wrong but then he said; "Stubborn too." He tried to give me a smile, it didn't reach his eyes though.

If only Ponyboy was here, he wouldn't think those pale blue-green eyes looked like ice now.

When we finally reached the hospital, Darry stopped the truck at the front of the hospital, having lost the ambulance in cross traffic. Two-Bit offered to park it right so they could avoid getting a ticket along with everything else going on.

Dally split off from us when we entered the hospital, saying he was going to see if he could find them before us but I could just tell he wanted some time with himself, he didn't do good in these situations.

It felt like we ran in circles for a while before a nurse finally pointed us to where she thought Soda and Pony would've ended up at. The Emergency Room was completely on the opposite side we were at so it took sometime to get to it.

It wasn't easy keeping up with Darryl Curtis.

Steve spotted Sodapop first, shouting out to Darry who was far ahead of us. "There he is!"

I didn't like the look on his face when he looked up.

_No..._

Darry pulled Soda off the floor, "Where is he?" He asked. Soda looked at the door with a lost look on his face, a frown tugging at his mouth. I almost couldn't believe my eyes, it was rare I'd see Soda with anything but a smile on his face.

It just didn't look right.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?" He asked the question that was on my mind too, but I was too afraid to hear the answer. I knew he wasn't okay...

Steve and me shared a look when the doctor came out a couple minutes later right when Darry was about to storm of to a Nurses Station; it was best if we stepped out of the way for a bit. Give them time to get the questions they needed answered and stuff,

"We'll go find the other guys. Update when you can." Steve gave Soda a couple of pats on his shoulder and then he and I took off.

The first place I went to was the waiting room, relieved there weren't any No Smoking signs to be seen I lit up one of the Kools I had in my jacket pocket.

A bit later Steve came in with Two-Bit and Dally, we we all took up camp there in that waiting room.

Two-Bit turned on the TV and pulled out a pack of cards from his pockets – they were new, guess he lifted them from the _closed_ Gift Shop.

Time passed, reruns started to play and the ashtray was filled with butts.

As I smoked my cigarette I then wished more than anything I could be a blood brother to Ponyboy. I wished I could be with Darry and Soda to seeing Pony. I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait, it was killing me.

But I would wait as long as I had to.

Afterall, I am his best friend.

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**Pardon typos.**

The title of this might change? Maybe?...Not. No it won't heh.


	5. Chapter 5

**Salvage Me**

* * *

I could hear the soft beeping coming from the room they directed us to.

I slid open the glass door but when my hands brushed the curtain, the only thing between my baby brother and I, something inside me froze.

Fear.

Pure unmasked fear.

Even with mom and dad, I didn't have the cold feeling twisting around my heart. Having to identify them that horrible day, I'd been able to put up some type of wall. I knew what to expect, dead was dead.

But _almost_ dead?

With mom and dad, they didn't have us dress head to toe in scrubs with gloves on our hands and masks on our faces.

Only the presence of Sodapop at my side kept me rooted at me spot, kept me from turning and fleeing for the first time in my life.

I moved my gloved hand and parted the curtain – No, nothing could have prepared me for this.

Nothing could have prepared me to see my baby brother laid up in that hospital bed; his face swollen and tight, tubes and wires coming from under the sheet up at his chest, a tick tube in his mouth and going down his throat – helping him to breathe, the only thing keeping him alive.

No, nothing could've prepared me for this – knowing that not only three hours ago he was sick but up on his own and talking.

I was rooted in my spot but beside me, Soda made a noise that sounded like a sob and rushed forward to our brothers bedside. His face was pained and something else that was just indescribable as he looked at Ponyboy, his hands hesitant before taking a hold of Pony's hand in his gloved one.

That is when I noticed the dark splotches that,earlier, I had thought were bruises – weren't. I could see them better in the brighter light and the smaller ones looked more like cluster of rashes but just the smaller ones on his neck, face and the back of his hands.

"Why is he all spotted up?" I asked, my eyes traveling to every visible spot on his body.

The only doctor who had came in with us cleared his throat before answering, "Disseminated intravascular coagulation." He started and I wanted to turn around and bark at him that I had no clue what he was going on about."We're dealing with septicemia here which is when there is bacteria in the blood, basically he's bleeding and clotting at the same time."

I know I never got to college but I knew enough to know that what I was seeing wasn't good.

"If it gets any worse," He continued, "Gangrene will be a big threat. We're going to see about forcing O2 back into the purple areas with the use of hyperbaric treatments."

"If it doesn't help what can ya do?" Sodapop asked between sniffles, his eyes never leaving out brothers still form.

"If gangrene sets, then we will have to see about removing those areas." He eyed my baby brothers foot which looked awful, it was nearly all purple.

I closed my eyes as Sodapop shouted; "No!" This couldn't be happening. This was just some awful dream that I would wake up from at any moment.

"If we don't, son, then it will begin to poison the rest of his body."

_At any moment._

"That will only be our last resort..." The doctor said, trying to calm Soda down.

"God!" Soda sobbed as if he didn't hear the older mans words, how I wish I could do the same. "You-you can't! He runs track, he'll be on the varsity track them next year! He...he can't if he-he, no!"

_Any moment now..._

I knew I wouldn't though, this was real. This was all too real.

Finally I was able to move and my feet lead me to my little brothers side. I looked up at Soda who had his face hovering above Ponyboys, too afraid to touch the skin there that looked as if it could break at the gentalist touch.

"Wake up honey...show them you're alright..." I could him make out he was saying, other words were too soft for me to hear. "...your eyes baby. Open 'em..."

Mentally I began to beg him to do the same, I knew he wouldn't.

They ushered us out maybe thirty minutes later, saying that he was stable enough to go into a hyperbaric chamber. Prying Soda away from Pony was one of the most heart wrenching things I ever had to do.

We went back to the PICU waiting room, I tried to keep myself distracted by looking at all the hand prints on the walls but weird dark thoughts began to enter my mind as I did...

_Some of the kids are long gone, most healthy and happy but others are dead._

"The guys."

I turned to Soda, "What?"

"We forgot about them."

We did.

"Oh." Was all I could say for awhile, "We should go see if they are still here." We should but I didn't want to leave this room, what if while we were gone something happened? They said it would be a few hours.

A few. What was a few anyway? Two? Six? Ten? We've been waiting for over an hour, so what if it was two?

"I'll tell a nurse we'll be back." I decided, that way they would know where to find us.

"Okay."

We found the guys had pretty much taken over a waiting room right outside the double doors from the PICU.

The floor was covered with empty coke cans and coffee cups, wrappers from burgers, chips, candies and what whatever else were scattered on the floor. Cards littered one of the tables, along with bottle caps that were used as poker chips.

All the guys were either curled up in chairs or on the floor fast asleep, oblivious to the theme of _Green Acres_ blaring from the TV.

I went over to the television, that was mounted high on the wall, and reached up to turn it down. I was amazed they hadn't been kicked out yet.

Soda went over to Steve, "Wake up man." He said shaking the shoulder of his best friend. I nearly tripped over Two-Bits legs, not seeing him on the floor with half of him hid under a chair. I kicked his legs, smirking as jumped up, the back of his head knocking into the chair.

The noise woke up Dally and Johnny, with Dally cussing about a crock in his neck.

"Hey, what time is it?" Johnny asked groggily.

Steve stumbled to the door to peer out to look at the clock hanging in the hallway. "Holy shit, it's after 6."

I noticed the light coming through the blind on the window. "I better call my boss." Soda agreed. "Don't think we'll be goin' in today." I just couldn't leave Pony behind like this and I knew there was no way I could convince Soda to go in.

Johnny stood, fishing for his shoes that were thrown under the chair he was curled up in. "How is Ponyboy?" He asked, pulling on one of his trainers.

"Yeah man, them nurses won't tell us a thing."

I ran my hand over my face, looking lover at the coffee pot sitting on the table in the corner. "He's not doin' good."

"What? What's wrong with him."

Soda let out a bitter laugh, "What isn't?" He rubbed his eyes with his fists, "Men-men...something- ingococcal septicaemia, menigitis. They just said a lot of words I don't understand! He's just sick, really sick and we might loose him."

"Soda-"

"We might Dar!"

"We won't."

Each time he said that it was like a stab in the chest, but how could I argue with that? He was telling the truth.

"You heard 'em! If he lives he ain't gonna be the same! They are gonna have to cut off his foot, his brain might be messed up, he just ain't gonna be right." Looks of horror passed over the faces of the gang, Johnny started to shake his head – confusion in his eyes.

"He just had a headache and a fever."

"Symptoms of this stuff, it just comes like that." I said snapping my fingers. They said it comes up looking like flu or the common cold but then the next thing you know, they end up like Pony is now or worse – just dead.

* * *

**Excuse typos and stuff**

**Sorry if it seems like I rushed this part, to me it did. **

**1.**

Septicemia is the presence of bacteria in the blood


End file.
